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Topic: ESA - the European Space Agency (Read 2734 times)

EUROPE PREPARES TO LAND ON A COMET: On Nov. 12th, the European Space Agency will attempt something "ridiculously difficult"--that is, landing on a comet. The ESA's Rosetta spacecraft will drop a probe named Philae on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. "The comet will be moving 40 times faster than a speeding bullet, spinning, shooting out gas and welcoming Rosetta on the surface with boulders, cracks, scarps and possibly meters of dust," says Art Chmielewski, the US Rosetta Project Manager at JPL. A video from NASA previews the landing.

What would you do if you landed on a comet? For his answer, Spaceweather.com reader Luca Savorani created this graphic. [ SEE below, I Imagined Strange Sightings... Taken by Luca Savorani on November 3, 2014]

"I added some ski tracks to the dusty slopes of the comet's neck," explains Savorani. "The underlying image was taken by Rosetta's NAVCAM on Oct. 28th."

Skiing on a comet? The idea's not so crazy. Astronauts have seriously discussed the possibility of skiing on the Moon, where thick layers of moondust resemble the powder that coats parts of 67P. All you need are teflon skis.

http://www.spaceweather.com/COMET LANDER FALLS ASLEEP: With its batteries running low and not enough sunlight to recharge them, ESA's Philae lander has gone into 'idle mode.' In this mode, all instruments and most systems on board are shut down. "Prior to falling silent, the lander was able to transmit all science data gathered during the First Science Sequence," says DLR's Stephan Ulamec, Lander Manager, who was in the Main Control Room when the data came in. The reason for this development is that Philae landed on Comet 67P in an unexpected place: the shadow of a tall cliff. From now on, no contact will be possible unless sufficient sunlight falls on the lander's solar panels, generating enough power to wake it up. Stay tuned for updates from ESA: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/...

AMAZING NEWS--COMET LANDER PHONES HOME: Seven months after the European Space Agency lost contact with its comet lander, Philae, the probe has unexpectedly radioed Earth. "Philae is doing very well: It has an operating temperature of -35ºC and has 24 Watts available," says DLR Philae Project Manager Dr. Stephan Ulamec. "The lander is ready for operations." Last November, Philae bounced into shadows on the surface of comet 67P. Starved of solar power, it fell asleep. Now, with the comet approaching the sun, Philae has been able to wake up again. Congratulations to the ESA for a very pleasant surprise:

In a post-global disaster world, predators and tyrants will have the best two-way radios, and they'll use them to surveil you at a comfortable distance.

What will you have? Signal flares and red bandannas?

If so, when you least expect it, the predators and tyrants will come to take a spoil and they will torture, rape, and kill without mercy.

This is why Radio Free Earth authors Marshall Masters and Duane W. Brayton have an urgent message for everyone with a serious interest in preparedness. That being, analog RF (radio frequency) is the heartbeat of freedom. Accept no substitutes.

Watch our free videos to learn how to stay safe and free with an affordable strategy for two way communication, both near and far.